Meal Time Quickie

Sunday, May 13, 2012

So I was home the other night defrosting a pack of boneless chicken breast. Contemplating on how I was going to wow my family for dinner. I remembered I had Bacardi Margarita mixers in my freezer. My brain started ticking, and I thought to myself, we love margaritas, we love chicken, why not mix the two! So I did... Below is my recipe. I hope you enjoy!

Finely chop green onions, cilantro, and garlic. Slice your chicken breast very thin. Add your onions, cilantro, garlic to chicken. Squeeze the juice of a whole lime onto chicken. Add only 1 tablespoon of sea salt and 1 teaspoon of cracked pepper, put the rest to the side for once the chicken is cooked. Pour half the Bacardi Margarita mix to chicken, and toss. Make sure your chicken is completely covered in your marinade.

This is what your chicken should look like while marinating :-) . Cover pan, and allow it to marinade for about 2-3 hours in the fridge. Once you are ready to cook, remove chicken from marinade, make sure you shake off most of the marinade, otherwise your chicken will burn quickly in the pan because of the sugar in the mix. Heat up your pan on medium high and add your cooking oil. Make sure the oil is hot before placing your chicken breast in it. Once you place your chicken on pan, allow it to cook for about 2 minutes on each side. You have thinly sliced your chicken breast, so it will cook fairly quickly. Remove from pan once cooked.

Placed the Margarita chicken on a serving dish, and add the remainder of sea salt & black cracked pepper. I cut my lime in half. Sliced one half for garnish, and squeezed the other half over chicken. My family went crazy over this dish. We ate it on flour tortillas with pico de gallo & shredded cheddar cheese. I know you will love it too.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

This meal was so easy to make! It took me 10 minutes to prep, and 20 total to cook! I used the new Kraft Fresh Take Southwestern mix. It's a mix of cheddar cheese and breadcrumb with Southwestern seasonings. All you have to do is toss & coat in the bag and bake. The asparagus were so yummy & crisp. Steamed them just right. Below is the recipe, I hope you enjoy!

When I said this was an easy meal to make, I was not kidding! The new Kraft Fresh Take mix comes in an easy to use zip bag. It make it's very convenient for the cook, and that is always a plus. Preheat your oven at 350 degrees. I cut my chicken breast in form of chicken fingers, because the kids seem to enjoy it when they hear me say I made it into strips just for them. I took the chicken strips one by one and coated them well inside the zip bag. I sprayed my glass baking dish with Pam original cooking spray. Once I was done coating the chicken, I poured the remaining mix on top of it. I baked in the oven for about 20 minutes. While the chicken is baking I start preparing the asparagus. I had already bought the white mushrooms sliced, so that cut out some of the prep time. I brought a sauce pan with 4 cups of water to a boil. Now tie spears into a bundle. Cook for 2-3 minutes in boiling water with tips upward. Then just dip the tips briefly into the boiling water. This way the woody part of the asparagus cooks longer, while the tips are getting all the steam from the boiling water. Melt the butter in a cooking pan,, and saute your garlic & mushrooms for about 1 minute on high heat. Add your cooking wine, and bring it down to a medium heat for another minute. Remove asparagus from stove & place on a serving dish. Once your sauce is simmering pour over the asparagus. Check that your chicken is baked thoroughly and remove from oven. You are all done. Bon Appetit!!

Monday, May 7, 2012

I wanted to be creative today, so I decided to take my love of cooking to another level! I bought this fresh Mahi fillets from my local fish market, but you can get the frozen individually sealed packs in your store's freezer isle. I call the salad "Light Antipasti" because I have left out the ham & salami to serve my family a lighter alternative to the traditional Italian antipasti. I promise you, this has been one of the best dishes I have ever made for dinner for my family. If you decide to try it, you will not be disappointed. Recipe below!

Prepare your salad first this way while you are cooking your Mahi, all the flavors in your salad can be marinating. Cut your tomatoes, cucumbers, and fresh mozzarella into cubes and throw in a bowl. Roll both your fresh basil leaves together on your cutting board, and finely chop. Add both basil & oregano to your bowl. Mix the vinegar, EVOO, sea salt, and cracked pepper in a small bowl to ensure the salt properly dissolves. Poor this dressing over your salad and toss. You are done!

Now for your fish, heat your cooking pan on high, and throw butter in and allow it to melt. Season your fillets with garlic powder, salt, pepper, & lemon juice. Place your Mahi fillets about 1 inch apart from each other on pan. Allow 2 minutes for that side to cook, then flip over and allow another 2 minutes for other side to cook. Mahi cooks fairly quickly, so make sure you don't over cook your fillets.

For the garlic & mushroom sauce, you will melt butter in pan. Cook garlic for about 1 minute. Throw the baby bella mushrooms in pan and cook along with garlic. Pour the white cooking wine in pan, and squeeze half the lemon in. Cook sauce until it starts to simmer. Once done pour over Mahi, and serve.

Brunch is served! I came up with this idea for egg salad this morning. I knew I wanted to make something different for my family and at the same time keep it simple. I added wonderful ingredients that went great together, and they loved it. I share my recipe below. Enjoy!

Boil eggs for about 15-20 minutes in a pot with about 4 cups of water. Cook bacon til it's nice and crispy. Make sure to drain bacon well once removed from pan. Chop eggs, bacon, green onions, and sun dried tomatoes and put in a bowl all together. Add the mayo & cracked black pepper and mix well. Use thyme sprigs for garnish. I served with big sliced bagel toasted. I just cut bagel into 4 slices. You are all done! Now Enjoy!

Preheat oven at 450 degrees. Cut your zucchini, squash, carrots, and onions. Place them in a baking dish. Chop your garlic, and add it to your EVOO. Add salt, pepper, & lemon juice to the EVOO as well and mix together. Pour this over your veggies and toss. Place baking dish in oven rack and allow it to bake for 20 minutes. Make sure you turn your veggies in between bake time so they may cook evenly. Once done you can serve it with grilled chicken, or over pasta. Enjoy!!

About Me

I'm a wife, mother of 5, and a business woman . I love cooking and reinventing recipes to make new & exciting dishes for my family & friends. I love food, fashion, & music! I started this blog to share with the world my passion for cooking. With a busy schedule from sun up to sun down, I beleive I have mastered the ability of making quick delicious meals that everyone enjoys and still stay within a small budget. I'll be posting weekly Meal Time Quickie recipes for those of you who are as busy as I am. Please become a fan of my blog, and looking forward to getting your feed back on my creations.